2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6

Taking the loooong view.

BY MARK GILLIES, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY DWORIN AND AARON KILEY
July 2009

Current Mileage/Months in Fleet: 14,853 miles/6 months
Average Fuel Economy/Range: 21 mpg/428 miles
Service: $448
Normal Wear: $4
Repair: $0

The Hyundai Genesis represents a real stretch in brand coverage for Hyundai, one that could almost be seen as on par with Toyota’s launch of Lexus in 1989. Even though Hyundais are competitive—and best in class in some cases, such as interior quality—the automaker is still synonymous with value at the volume end of the market. It was the same for Toyota when it launched its Lexus luxury brand. Now, of course, Toyota has a cast-iron rep for quality and is perceived by many people as making the best family vehicles. The Lexus brand is astutely distanced from Toyota but has an equally stellar image.

When Hyundai set out to make the first true Korean luxury car for the U.S. market, it didn’t start a new brand, with all the associated dealer and marketing costs, but instead chose to launch the Genesis under the Hyundai umbrella. The Genesis is the company’s first rear-wheel-drive product offered to U.S. buyers, and it signals Hyundai’s intent to move upmarket in the long term, which is where the profits are in the auto business. (Indeed, it intends to bring its even more luxurious Equus sedan to the U.S., too.)

When the 1989 Lexus LS400 debuted, we decided to extend our normal long-term test from a then 30,000 miles to 60,000 to see if the car was as solid as Lexus was claiming. With Hyundai, we decided to go even farther: a 100,000-mile test, the length of Hyundai’s powertrain warranty and more than double our now-standard 40,000-mile interval. The thinking is this: Most modern cars stand up well to 40,000 miles of routine abuse in our hands. But how well does a car cope with the equivalent of eight years of driving compressed into a time period of less than 25 percent of that?
Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $42,050 (base price: $38,050)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection

Displacement: 282 cu in, 4627cc
Power (SAE net): 375 bhp @ 6500 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 333 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 115.6 in Length: 195.9 in Width: 74.4 in Height: 58.3 in Curb weight: 4119 lb

PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 5.3 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 12.7 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 22.5 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 5.7 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.8 sec @ 104 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 154 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 164 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.84 g
EPA fuel economy, city/highway driving: 17/25 mpg
C/D-observed fuel economy: 21 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0.5 qt
*Stability-control-inhibited.

WARRANTY:
5 years/60,000 miles bumper to bumper;
10 years/100,000 miles powertrain;
7 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
5 years/unlimited miles roadside assistance

We ordered a V-8–engined Genesis, which comes with the 375-hp, 4.6-liter engine and a full flotilla of luxury features, from the leather-wrapped dash and door trim to the power rear sunshade. We added the $4000 Technology package that includes a rear backup camera, HID headlights, a cooled driver seat, navigation, and a 17-speaker surround sound system that’s upgraded from the standard 14-speaker affair. Fully loaded, the Genesis costs $42,050, which seems like a bargain for such a large, powerful car that has so many luxury features. A Lexus LS460 has five more horsepower but less interior space and starts at $64,700. A Lincoln MKS with the EcoBoost V-6 has 20 fewer ponies, less interior volume, and starts at $48,585. In short, you’re getting Mercedes S-class space for C-class money.

To say that the Genesis is a real rival to an S-class would be a bit like saying that our favorite local bar’s nine-dollar burger is as good as Daniel Boulud’s $120 double-truffle delicacy. But much like that nine-buck burger, the Genesis is still plenty satisfying, and its relative lack of sticker shock is a fine thing in these recessionary times. The styling, although derivative, looks substantial and classy. The interior is rich, inviting, and spacious. The car drives pretty decently, although the ride can be harsh over expansion strips. The engine provides good passing power and is nicely hushed at cruising speeds. Opinion is divided over exactly how luxurious this car is. The car snobs in the office dismiss the steering wheel and window switches as déclassé and out of place on a $42,000 vehicle with luxury pretensions. Others among us are amazed how Hyundai can bring us this much car for this little money, just as we were when the LS400 debuted.

So far, the Genesis has averaged a reasonable 21 mpg in our hands and cost $344 for its first two routine services, at 7500 and 15,000 miles. We were charged $104 for remounting summer tires in place of the car’s winter footwear, and had to put a half-quart of Mobil 1 into the oil pan at just over the 2000-mile mark.

As for that 100,000-mile goal, we’re off to a slow start: fewer than 15,000 miles in the car’s first six months with us, although we’re about to drive it across the country to attend the Monterey Historics at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in northern California. If it can transport four of us across the country without too many back-seat complaints, it will have passed its first real test.